Ok, so you actually have to supply your own creativity, but CS3 is the next best thing. Brand new, in box, never been opened, original, full version of Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium – Windows Edition. Bonus video tutorial disc included. Not an education copy, this is the legal real deal. I bought it before getting a job that had it for me. If you’re interested, send an email to [bcrockett at powerplay-dj.com]. If you’re not, maybe I can interest you in some scratch paper?

A great illustration here of the difference between average design and the kind of design that made me want to become a designer (and i didn’t design either of them).

Just a quick point. Utah.com used to be a pretty decent website, design speaking. About a year ago, when Utah introduced their new “Life Elevated” campaign, Utah.com did a site redesign. Actually, I think of it more as a de-design. They messed it up. Really-see above. You’ll have to trust me that the old one was a bit better.

On the other hand, i came across Utah.travel tonight. Which would you rather explore? And when it all comes down to it, if tourism is doing it’s job–shouldn’t it make you want to explore?

Well, every good story needs a sad ending (like the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows when Harry…nevermind. I don’t want to spoil it for you).

So here’s the catch: Utah.travel, at this point, is basically an elaborate landing page to Utah.com. Most of the navigation on .travel takes you to pages on .com leaving the user feeling a little ripped off. To ease the pain, click on “View pictures of Utah” or “Watch the Videos” and rest easy in the hopes that eventually the whole site will be converted to the new design.

Or just visit Colorado instead.

That was a joke. In the late 1840’s, Utah actually fought Colorado. And Utah won (obviously).

Ok, so the title is a little harsh. I really do love the site. In fact, it’s not actually eBay that’s the culprit here- it’s some of their users.

A couple of months ago, Whittney got a job as an account manager working with eBay’s Top Sellers. I hadn’t used eBay for years, but all the talk of online auctions and fortunes-to-be finally got me, and I decided to go back.

I’ve had my eyes (not sure why people normally use the singular ‘eye’ in that situation) on a pair of headphones. Since we’re all in basically the same room at Move, it’s nice to have a good pair of earmuffs when you want to crank Stevie Nicks, but you don’t want everyone else to know you listen to the coolest music in the world.

So I found them on eBay. For only $75 plus $30 shipping. That’s a pretty discount, and they had it at a “buy it now” price, so I didn’t have to play the auction game.

A couple hours later, I got an email from eBay telling me:

“We removed this item from the Site and cancelled your bid because it appears that the seller’s account has been compromised and used by an unauthorized third party.

1. Stop payment with your bank if you paid by check.
2. Contact the Security Department of your credit card company to file a chargeback if you paid via credit card.
3. If you paid via Western Union or MoneyGram, contact the company directly.
4. If you paid with PayPal, eligible transactions will… etc.”

Despite the email, I wasn’t too worried. The eBay could be wrong, I thought. Since Whittney works there, she checked it out for me. Trust and Safety department was looking into the seller because of a variety of factors including an account that hadn’t been used in a while and a conflicting IP address. Actually, she gave me all sorts of information they’d already pulled together. Apparently there are all sorts of behind-the-scenes algorithms that constantly monitor all the activity on the site and end up preventing a lot of what would otherwise be scams.

Anyway, I had a tracking number showing that my headphones were on their way from Japan, so I wasn’t worried. A few days later, there was a package slip in our mailbox- my headphones had finally arrived!

When I saw the package, I knew it wasn’t what I’d ordered. In fact, it turned out to be a $105 block of styrofoam wrapped in yellow packing tape. But combined with my tracking number, it was enough to throw me off the scammer’s trail for an extra week. eBay was right.

So a friend let me borrow his Bose Quiet Comfort 3 noise canceling headphones. They are amazing. Turn them on, and even without any music your surroundings become quieter. Throw in a little Kings of Convenience, and you’ll feel like you’re front and center at Red Rocks.

At the time I had them, I worked next to a server room, which I imagine to be similar to the noise of a jet engine. For the frequent air traveler, they would be the perfect fit. Blocks out engine noise and possibly the little kid screaming for more Sprite two rows behind you. (Note: In practice, the technology actually does a better job of knocking out repetitive hums and mechanical noises than a pesky toddler, but all noise is dampened to some extent.)

With just the cancellation turned on and no music playing, you get about the same feeling as a dose of nitrous oxide in the dentist’s chair. It’s the eerie feeling of sounds and voices floating just out of reach of your comprehension, but without the annoying vibrating in your skull often caused by the dentist’s drill. They really are a great product.

Anyway, the good news is, I got all of my money back in about a week’s time. And while I still don’t have anything better than my iPod earbuds for the occasional Bette Middler jam session, at least I didn’t come out in the hole. I can’t say anything for the Pioneer HDJ-1000’s that never came, but if you’re in the market for a serious pair of high-end, consumer-grade headphones, I highly recommend the Bose. Just be careful if you find them for under $275 on eBay.

Oh- and on a marketing/advertising note- my buddy’s Quiet Comfort 3’s came with a stack of “pass-along” cards to give to friends who ask about the headphones. They store inside the custom case so that you’ll have them with you wherever you travel. A great idea since everyone who tries a pair on will probably be wanting more information on the amazing technology. All you have to do is flip out the card, and turn up the Sade.

I feel for you, Kelly. But you got more than the attention you deserved on the backs of a crazed populous obsessed by synthetic-reality television and American Idol. Your stunning announcement really isn’t news. And certainly not front-page CNN news. Well ok, it is- but only because Murrow’s Boys and respect for the profession have been forgotten.

I decided to make today a day for cleaning house. I planned on posting all the “draft” posts I’ve been saving up without publishing. But as I read over them- stuff about music in advertising (“Mad World” in the Gears of War trailer), the question of using corporate parentage to brand a product(Toyota positioning itself as built in America vs. Chrysler adopting Dr. Z as their German spokesman), and the Nintendo Wii being my first gaming system since the original NES…I decided a better way of cleaning house would be just to delete them. Done.

Since my last update, I started work at Move Networks. It’s quite a bit different from the “agency life,” but a good kind of different. It’s a great company in one of the coolest industries out there. And, other than the pinball humiliation, it’s been awesome working with pmayne again. Some big shoes to fill. Anyway, in a few weeks, I’ll probably throw up some of the designs I’ve been working on for t-shirts and the website redesign. Some pretty cool projects.

Said goodbye today after 2 good years at Richter7.

I’ve never seen anything like what this is doing to Digg.

Advertisement >

Make sure that your website is the best that it can be. Having a web site design catalog at your fingertips can make all the difference in the world. With Edezines professional web design directory, your site will be the best it can be.

I just bought CS3 requiring a minimum of 1GB RAM. I also have two 19″ LCD monitors that I want to start using, so I’m looking for a new computer. I’ve wanted to switch to a Mac for a while now, but their relatively small product line doesn’t seem to have anything that fits my needs very well at this point. None of the laptops suport dual monitors- and I’ll probably just continue using CS2 on my current laptop when I need portability anyway.

Mac Minis don’t fit becasue of a lack of support for dual monitors-and weak processing power.

The iMacs don’t make a whole lot of sense, since I’d be paying for a monitor I don’t need, and don’t really want.

Finally, there’s the 8 Core Mac Pro. It would be great if I had $2,500 burning a hole in my pocket for the base model. I don’t.

So, it looks like I’m back to considering another PC. Any suggestions?